infonews.co.nz
INDEX
SPORT

GAME ON FOR OFFROAD RACERS AT NATIONAL FINAL IN CHRISTCHURCH

Wednesday 22 October 2014, 10:54PM

By Mark Baker

429 views

Owen Chang
Owen Chang Credit: Veritas Communications


• Racers return to West Melton
• Club 92 leads the championship charge
• Four local drivers to defend Canterbury honours

Canterbury’s regional pride is at stake as offroad racers gather for the final round of the 2014 New Zealand Offroad Racing Championship.
Four race drivers carry Canterbury’s hopes into this weekend’s national offroad racing championship final at West Melton with maximum points and a chance at glory over the two day event.
In what has been dubbed ‘Club 92’ Christchurch unlimited-class truck driver Owen Chang and production truck racer Steven Boyd are the only truck/4WD class drivers to take taken a maximum 92 points forward to the final after they won their respective classes for the southern sector of the championship.
Another Canterbury driver, Rob Palmer, tops the points for the Challenger VW race car class and Graham Fleming leads the southern challenge in the 1.3-litre race car class.
They are part of a 59-strong entry list for the event which has attracted drivers from as far away as Auckland and Otago.
Heading south from Auckland with their eyes on the title are unlimited race car class entrants Ernie Hogg, in his Scorpion Chev V8 84 points) and northern region class champion Tony McCall in his BSL Terra Chev V8 (92 points). Mal Langley of Whakatane (80 points) is bringing his Mitsubishi Evo powered car, while Nelson’s Neville Basalaj comes to the event with the full 92 points and Chriostchurch’s Vinnie Harvey has 80 points.
Racing at West Melton takes place over two days, with spectacular ‘stadium’-style short course competition on Saturday starting at 11.00 am and an endurance race the following day that takes competitors out of the West Melton track and into nearby forest.
Gate admission is $10 per person, children under 16 free.